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Community Reports ~ September 2009

Good Neighbour Scheme Gets off to a Good Start
September 1909 - Edwardian Britain - To September 2009 - A Century of Guiding
Beavers ~ Cubs ~ Scouts
St.Thomas à Becket Church
Pucklechurch Folk Dance Club
Revel Day Attracts Record Crowds
Community Association News
Parish Council Chairman’s Notes
Pucklechurch W.I. & Gardeners Club Annual Produce Show

Good Neighbour Scheme Gets off to a Good Start

It has been some time since we all completed our questionnaires for the Community Plan and discovered that many would be interested in a good neighbour scheme for the  village. Thursday, 23rd July 2009, saw the launch of the Pucklechurch and Shortwood Good Neighbour Scheme at the Rose and Crown. Coordinators and volunteers gathered to  celebrate the occasion. This was an exciting day, as this is the first scheme of its kind in our area. It has taken some time to organise because we have designed the scheme from scratch. Funds were raised from the Avon and Somerset Community Trust, and South Gloucestershire gave small grants to pay for CRB checks for co-ordinators and  volunteers and to pay for public liability insurance. Sainsbury's donated a mobile phone, and local businesses provided donations to assist with related costs.

The scheme is managed by three co-ordinators and there are sixteen volunteers so far. The purpose of the scheme is to provide support to our neighbours. Anyone can use the  scheme, but we are aiming our support at those who are more vulnerable within our community, such as elderly residents and single parents. You can contact the scheme co-ordinators by email (goodneighbours@pucklechurch.org) or by phone (0796 1939574).

The Good Neighbour Scheme does not replace services already provided by local service providers or organisations, nor do we operate a 24-hour service. A user of the scheme  can expect a co-ordinator to contact them within 24 hours of making contact. The co-ordinator will then refer the resident using the scheme to a volunteer. Volunteers will  be happy to pop round and spend time with someone, help fill in forms, put bins out, or check and change batteries in smoke alarms. It may be that someone is lonely and  would like to spend half an hour having a cup of tea with a new friend, or the support provided may be on a more practical level. Volunteers will also be able to help people get in touch with services that are provided by other organisations. The co-ordinators are organised and the volunteers are ready. All we need now are some residents of the village who want to use the scheme. Please get in touch if you or someone you know could use a good neighbour. The Good Neighbour Scheme would like to thank  Sainsbury's, the Avon and Somerset Community Trust, South Gloucestershire Council, Elizabeth Shaw, AG Bracey Ltd, DPD West Coast Express, and the Rose and Crown for their support and Kirstie Hatherall for designing our poster. If anyone would like to become a volunteer, please let us know. It really is very easy. You do not have to commit to  giving any particular amount of time and you only do what you are comfortable doing. It's also a great way to meet new friends.

September 1909 - Edwardian Britain - To September 2009 - A Century of Guiding

Imagine being a girl in 1909. A now-famous letter to Lord Baden-Powell asked, "If a girl is not allowed to run, or ride a bicycle, or raise her arms above her head, how can she become a Girl Scout?" Yet girls did. They saw this exciting new organisation as a way out of such demure pastimes as embroidery, piano lessons and chaperoned walks. They formed themselves into patrols and engaged in their brothers' activities by reading the Scouting for Boys magazine. A few attended the Boy Scout Rally at Crystal  Palace one hundred years ago.

Baden-Powell saw that a separate girls' movement was needed, as public opinion did not approve of girls becoming Scouts and engaging in "unmaidenly pursuits". He asked his  sister Agnes to help form Girl Guides, taking their name from a regiment of Indian soldiers who were "distinguished for their general handiness and resourcefulness under  difficulties, and their keenness and courage".

Records show that as early as May 1917 a meeting was held in South Gloucestershire to establish Guiding. Lady Sybil Codrington attended and agreed to become chairman of the newly formed South Cotswold Guide Association. The June meeting minutes state: "a Guide Company will be started in Horton but not until October, as everyone is busy with the harvest in August and September! The same applies to Badminton, with Old Sodbury and Tormarton also having girls ready to join."

A whole list of Badge Testers has been drawn up and some of the badges available might surprise you. How about taking your Bee Farmer or Cobbler badge? Or maybe you prefer  Milliner, Philosopher (I wonder what that entailed), or Signaller (Morse Code and semaphore I expect). One leader brought up the difficulty of some girls having to cycle more than three miles to be tested, which was thought unsuitable, especially during dark winter months. The reply was that girls should be prepared to put in some effort to gain their badges!

Discussion was also held on whether mixed games for Guides and Scouts should be allowed. Each parish was to make its own decision, but leaders had to be present and ensure  good behaviour on both sides.

By 1939 Mrs Blathwayt of Dyrham Park is Division Commissioner and her daughters, the Misses Blathwayt, are running 1st Dyrham Guide Company, although the start date for this local Unit is not clear. However, there are still members of this Guide Company who live locally and remember riding their bicycles to meetings in Dyrham. At this time Pucklechurch was very small, and interested girls considered it quite normal to travel a few miles to take part in activities.

A 1940 meeting states that in the event of enemy invasion of our country, Guides should be told not to wear their uniforms.

Gloucestershire records show that 1st Pucklechurch Guides started in 1958 when the village would have grown with the building of the RAF station and houses. So Guides have run continuously in our village for more than 50 years – a record to be proud of and another great reason to be celebrating our centenary. If you'd like to join us, please  contact me on 937 2157 or rosabbott@hotmail.com.

Ros Abbott

The Beavers had great fun recently at the Castle Quarry Activity Centre having a go at canoeing. Everyone was wet before they even started, as it rained the whole time they  were on the water. It did not dampen their spirits however! They all had a brilliant time and asked if they could do it all over again. We also had great fun decorating our first float for Revel, working with the Cubs and Scouts. We enjoyed a joint evening with the Cubs making cyberman masks (which were amazing!) and must thank our fantastic parent helpers. Beavers is great fun, and we have a really nice group of kids. If your child (and we are open to boys and girls) is between the ages of 6 to 8 and would like to join us, please call Sarah Fox-Robinson on 0117 957 1266.

Did you hear the sound of the Wapley church bells recently? If so, it could well have been us. We had a very educational and noisy night learning the ropes (excuse the  pun!) of bell ringing and hand bell ringing. We also spent an evening at Dyrham constructing bivouacs (a shelter made of natural materials), which we all managed to get underneath. We worked with our friends from Scouts, Beavers and Explorers to produce the Dr Who float and help to run the Scout Village on Revel Day. This was lots of fun,  especially the pillow fight on the pole! We spent a night bowling at Longwell Green with some very professional bowlers in the making! If your son or daughter is between 8 and 10½ and is interested in joining Cubs, call Steve on 0787 213 7609.

Since the last newsletter, Pucklechurch Scouts have been on a sailing camp at Longridge, near Marlow, on the River Thames. Great fun! One of our nights included exploring  the Ochre Works at Wick, which is a fascinating place to visit if you get the time. We cycled from Emerson's Green to Bristol and back, and in June we enjoyed taking part in the Revel parade, where we joined forces with the Cubs, Beavers and Explorers to produce our Dr Who float. Finally, we took part in the Malvern Challenge with 3,000 other Scouts and Guides. Now we're exhausted and ready for a break! To join Scouts, call Tony on 0117 957 4119.

And finally, remember that the Scout Hut is available to hire for private small parties, with all income supporting the Scout Hut. To find out more call, Gail on 937 2838.

Dale Dennehy

St.Thomas à Becket Church

Sunday, 20th Sept 3pm, Messy Church / Short act of worship followed by / arts, crafts and refreshments

Sunday, 27th Sept 10am, Harvest Festival Family Communion

Saturday, 31st Oct 6-8pm, Light Party An alternative to Halloween

Sunday, 1st Nov 3pm, All Souls Service Remembering all those who have died recently or in the past

Sunday, 8th Nov 10.45am, Service of Remembrance – A parade service of uniformed organisations. Wreaths will be laid and two minutes' silence kept

Saturday, 14th Nov 2pm, Autumn Fayre at the Community Centre New goods for sales, crafts, tombola, books, bric-a-brac, refreshments, raffle

Revel Day Attracts Record Crowds

If you were there on Revel Day, you will have noticed the fantastic support we had from both our own community and further afield. How do you estimate the size of a large  crowd? "Count the legs and divide by two" was the advice my father always offered. However you attempted this feat on Revel Day, you came up with an answer of over 2,000. Great weather and support from local organisations made Revel Day 2009 very memorable.

The week leading up to Revel Day included many favourite events plus two new ones, the Skittles Challenge Shield and the bingo night. To make Revel Day the climax of the  week and to avoid having such a long day for organisers, we decided to start the week with the Beer Festival. Once again this was held in the Star Inn car park, but this year the marquee was much larger to ensure that inclement weather would not spoil the evening. Twenty-eight real ales, mostly from the local area, and eight farmhouse ciders guaranteed that the evening went with a swing. I shall never forget how the Bristol Port cider turned people's mouths bright red!

As always, there are many people and organisations that help to make Revel a success, and it is always difficult to know where to start. Various groups ran events to  support Revel. These included (in date order) the PSA's Treasure Hunt, the Twinning Ramble, the Church Thanksgiving Service, the Mums and Minors Open Day, the Folk Dance  Club's junior dance, the School concert, the Pucklechurch Players Race Night, and last but not least, the Pucklechurch Village Sports and Social Club organised a sponsored  cycle ride to Bath and back. All these activities brought the community together and many raised funds for Revel.

The new events were successful, and we hope to see these on the calendar in future years. The Revel Skittles Challenge Shield consisted of teams from the Pucklechurch Village Sports and Social Club (also known as the Top Club), which hosted the event, and the Pucklechurch Social Club from the Village Hall. The two team captains, Barrie  Smith for PVSCC and John Sexton for the Village Hall team, roused their teams and supporters for a competitive match and a good atmosphere. In the end, the home team took the shield by 93 points. The bingo night held at the Rose and Crown was called by the inimitable Art Packer. Thanks also to the new landlords, Janet and John, who arrived only the day before to find that Revel had taken the pub over for the following night!

The Revel quiz night at the Fleur de Lys was a sellout, and nearly 100 people competed for the first prize of wine kindly donated by Steve and Monica. On Wednesday, both school concerts were full and some people were unable to get seats. The lucky ones were treated to 'The Big Top', a musical showcase of the work done by the children.

The Bob Todd Memorial Pram Race is getting better and better each year. The standard of the fancy dress was outstanding and the judges, Jamie Todd and Jackie Sexton, had a  difficult time deciding on the winner.

Pucklechurch must have a thing for dressing up. Not only did we have excellent fancy dress for the pram race, but this year's Revel parade on the theme of television programmes brought out the best display of floats and walkers this side of Minehead. The standard was quite exceptional, but the judges did manage to decide in the end, awarding the Pucklechurch Playgroup the best float award, 1st Pucklechurch Rainbows/Guides the best children's entry, and W.I. the best adult entry. As the parade set off  round the village accompanied by the church bells, Revel Day had really started. And what a day! We had the largest crowd in living memory and over 2,000 people enjoyed the  arena events, stalls, and food.

Martin Smith, Chair

Community Association News

In response to some very strong views expressed in the Community Plan concerning the appearance and condition of the Village Hall, the Community Association has some  interesting choices to make in the near future. We will need to put the following improvements into priority order to be implemented as cash flow allows:

If you feel strongly about any of these projects, contact me (937 2818 or alanholder@talktalk.net) and let me know your opinion. In the long term, working in conjunction with the Makeover Team and Pucklechurch Playgroup, we shall be looking at providing a dedicated area for the playgroup and more storage space for all community centre  groups. This will involve obtaining the necessary grant aid. In the short term, there will have to be some adjustments in the hire rates, but before that happens there will be a full PCA meeting to discuss the financial proposals in detail.

Besides being short of money, we are very short on labour. We have so many doors to paint and so much cleaning to do that even two or three hours could make a big  difference. If you can make the offer of time, we will keep you busy.

Alan Holder, PCA Chairman

Parish Council Chairman’s Notes

Since I last wrote, the Pucklechurch Parish Council, like all councils, has had to hold annual elections for Chairman and Vice Chairman. I was re-elected as Chairman and Alan Holder as Vice Chairman for the year until next May. At the same time, colleagues were elected to serve on internal sub-committees such as Finance or Planning or on external bodies such as the Parish Charter Group, Safer Stronger Community Group, or Joint Cycle Group. In all, colleagues serve (unpaid) on 14 different committees, which can take a great deal of their time.

Those of you who attended any of the events organised by the Revel Committee, especially Revel Day itself, cannot have failed to have been impressed by the professional  organisation of the events and the range of activities available. The Revel Committee worked very hard to achieve so good a result and they were superbly led by my  colleague on the Council Martin Smith. Martin has been Chairman of Revel for three years, and he feels now is the time to step down. On your behalf, I should like to thank him for his dedication, superb organisational skills, and his ability to motivate those on the Committee to achieve a week of fun for the whole village.

At our Council meeting in July, we discussed the possibility of continuing the fencing we have put at the Castle Road end of the Rec into part of Hill View Road. At present we are asking for quotes, but I would hope that before too long the work will be undertaken. This will improve both safety and the visual aspect of the Rec.

The Council responded to the South Gloucestershire Council consultative document published earlier this year about potential additional gypsy and traveller sites within the  Parish boundary. Our main objection was that we had previously been advised that NO further sites would be earmarked by SGC in Pucklechurch. The sites under discussion were identified by individuals and not SGC. Our view was that no matter who is suggesting additional sites, we have sufficient within Pucklechurch Parish, and we do not wish to  see a proliferation of sites set up willy-nilly throughout South Glos.

Omar Beg, Chairman